Integral Human Development department

Formerly this department was known as Self Reliance. It has stretched its arms now to unite the community in economical, physical and spiritual matters in order to empower them to improve their living conditions. It promotes human dignity through empowering the community, involving and giving them the opportunity to become self-sustainable. It targets families and vulnerable people of the Kibera community.

The department is committed in uplifting the status quo of the five groups affiliated to them through economic empowerment and human formation. The groups are each allocated a day to meet in the parish compound and deliberate on their matters. This helps in monitoring their activities together with fostering commitment.

It organizes training in small business management on various skills and teaches industrial machine operation with an aim of making entrepreneurs. A major focus of the department is to empower the groups through promoting their handicrafts, teaching techniques in workshops and marketing.

The first group by the name Self Reliance Together meets every Tuesday. They grow mushrooms and make T-shirts. It is composed of both men and women. They are small scale business people. As a group they run savings and loan kitty which enables them to expand their businesses. On Thursdays there is the Health Talk Group. They are married women with health and physical problems. Through sharing, dances, drum beating and learning different skills from each other, eases their emotional difficulties. They run also a savings and loan kitty which helps them economically. Mother Teresa single mothers group meets on Fridays. They are older women who come together and learn how to put up with their lives alone and bring up their children. They conduct dances, drum beating, prayers and bible sharing. They operate a savings and loan account in the parish for their activities. On Saturdays there is Happy shower single mothers. These are young mothers who are taught to grow with hope and avoid prostitution. They conduct workshops and savings. They will decide in the future whether to advance loans.

The department is involved in home based care in the community. We visit the bedridden people. We also network with different rehabilitation centres in Nairobi where we send our clients for help. We offer training/workshops for schools, vocational centers and groups about human formation. We run a small feeding program for the neediest people in the community especially children and sick clients who are malnourished.

We have a dispensary with two sisters from Camillian community who help in treatment of different minor diseases. On Sundays a pastoral care team organized in the department visits the sick in the community to pray with them and give Holy Communion.